Building Quincy’s People First

The Quincy Talent Pipeline Program: Draft Action Plan

Quincy has always been a city full of opportunity—if you know where to look. We have more industries here than people realize.

Walk our streets and you'll see it:

• Sailboats and yachts that need mooring crews

• Beauty salons and barbershops shaping our community’s style

• Restaurants, small cafes, and bakeries serving working families

• Real estate offices helping new neighbors call Quincy home

• Healthcare centers, mental health hospitals, and nursing homes caring for every stage of life

• Hotel chains offering a world of possibilities in hospitality

• State offices like DCR managing Wollaston Beach and parks

• Corporate giants like State Street, Granite Telecommunications, and J. Jill, right in our backyard

We have all the ingredients to create something special. Now it’s time to connect the dots—and reinvest in our people.

I’m proposing a new Quincy Talent Pipeline Program.

Here’s the idea:

• Students and residents are matched with local businesses based on their skills, interests, and dreams.

• Businesses large and small—whether it’s a salon, a law firm, or a tech company—share skills, offer mentorship, and open doors.

This isn’t just about jobs. It’s about knowledge transfer. It’s about giving people a sense of purpose. It’s about preserving Quincy’s spirit—and preparing our community to outcompete anywhere they go, whether it’s Amazon, Google, or the family-owned diner down the street.

When we invest in Quincy’s next generation, we’re not just building workers. We’re building neighbors. Builders. Leaders.

We’re keeping the heart of Quincy beating strong—together.

Step 1: Build a Citywide Partnership Network

To connect residents to real opportunities, we first need to engage Quincy’s top employers and most promising industries.

We’ll begin by identifying:

• Quincy’s largest taxpayers

• Local small businesses with a history of hiring and mentoring

• State and regional employers looking to deepen their Quincy footprint

Early relationship-building efforts include:

• Meeting with the Quincy Chamber of Commerce to align on outreach

• Engaging MassCareers to identify job opportunities for residents

• Leveraging existing relationships with:

  • The CFO and Chief Diversity Officer of State Street

  • The CFO of Panera

The goal is to build a coalition of businesses that are hungry for talent and eager to invest in local mentorship and training. This coalition will serve as the foundation for job matching, internships, mentorships, and potential pipeline hires.

Step 2: Map Out Industry Categories and Align with our Schools

Once employer partners are identified, we’ll categorize them into industry clusters, such as:

• Healthcare

• Hospitality

• Trades & Logistics

• Finance & Tech

• Civic & Public Sector

• Retail & Services

We’ll then coordinate with the School Committee to:

• Align high school and post-secondary programming with real career pathways

• Build stronger connections between classroom learning and job readiness

• Ensure students can see—and reach—career opportunities in Quincy

This step includes an audit of what career programming already exists, and where the gaps are.

Step 3: Pilot 10-Week Job Exposure Programs

To ease employer concerns around retraining and turnover, we’ll propose a 10-week contract-based exposure program with participating businesses.

The goal: Give residents a taste of the workforce, and give employers a no-risk chance to discover local talent.

Each 10-week cycle will:

• Focus on skill-building and on-the-job learning

• Include defined project outcomes or learning objectives

• Allow both the employer and participant to evaluate fit

This reduces hiring risk, builds trust in local workforce potential, and creates new entry points for people ready to grow.

Step 4: Define Mentorship and Shadowing Structures (To Be Developed)

We'll continue to refine:

• How participants are matched with opportunities

• What mentorship and shadowing structures look like

• How to measure outcomes and scale what works

Remember: Every Quincy resident who’s employed is a spoke in the wheel that keeps this city—and this world—moving forward. We’re not just plugging people into jobs. We’re building a workforce rooted in pride, purpose, and the power of community.